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SPOTLIGHT

An Interview With Darren Walker

A recent conversation between the new Ford Foundation president and Michael Seltzer.

Troublesome Findings About Adult Literacy

By Gail Spangenberg

The adults we need to reach, as a top national priority, are beyond the reach of the school system. And millions aren’t ready for college or jobs for lack of the basics.

A Call for Reforms After Philippines Typhoon

By Raymond C. Offenheiser

Oxfam America’s recovery efforts after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines in November 2013.

Robert Bellah: A Bit of FF History

By Willard J. Hertz

Little-known facts about how the interests of the Foundation intersected with Bellah's interests.

The Playwright and the Singer

Several former and current Foundation staff have developed pursuits in the arts beyond their work at Ford.

LAFF Elects Two Vice Presidents

Two Vice Presidents to "build a more secure institutional platform, to reach out to new members, and to recruit a younger cadre of former Foundation staff members."

Chapter News

LAFF chapter meetings in New York, China, and Washington D.C.

Always Check the CV

By Willard J. Hertz

The homicidal contractor at the Navy Yard in Washington reminded me of a disturbing incident with a gun-carrying contractor that the Ford Foundation had to contend with in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) 47 years ago.

Global Fairness Initiative Awards

Susan Berresford, former president of the Ford Foundation, was one of three women receiving the 2013 Fairness Award of the Global Fairness Initiative at a ceremony October 13 in Washington, D.C.

Special Issue On South Africa

Call for articles and photos for a special issue on the Ford Foundations’s role in South Aftrica.

Help Sought for Paper on Transitional Justice

Seeking information on how memorialization became an integral part of transitional justice strategies and the role the Ford Foundation played.

An Appeal For Sara Rios

A fund has been established to help defray medical costs for Sara Rios as she deals with the effects of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

A Farmers Market For the Urban Poor

In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, Michael Lipsky writes of a farmers market founded in a Washington, D.C., suburb to meet the needs of low-income people.

In the Streets of Cairo

These disturbing videos of the turmoil in Egypt have been provided by Alia Arafa, who wrote the article “Morsi of Egypt After One Year”.

Brazil: Soccer and Citizenship

By Shepard Forman

A decade of dramatic economic growth has led to vast private foreign investment and the emergence of Brazil on the world stage.

Morsi of Egypt After One Year: Neither a Muslim nor a Brother

By Alia A. Halim Arafa

President Morsi took major decisions that manifested misuse and abuse of power, violated the constitution, and gave himself unprecedented powers.

After Gay-Rights Victory, a New Challenge for Grant Makers

By Michael Seltzer

The Supreme Court’s decision marks a time for philanthropy to reflect on its power to further social justice.

Access and Equity in Higher Education: Reflections on a Decade of Social Justice Fellowships

Ford Foundation’s International Fellowships Program gathered at the Foundation’s New York headquarters to celebrate a decade-long, groundbreaking program.

Guinea-Bissau: International Orphan

By Shepard Forman

The LAFF president traveled to Guinea-Bissau earlier this year as part of a team on an assignment from the Secretary General of the United Nations.

"My Encounter with Baseball"

Frank Sutton’s reminiscence of his ball playing days with the Trenton (New Jersey) Potteries.

McNeil Lowry and James Baldwin

Sam Roberts, metropolitan reporter for The New York Times, relates a little known story involving James Baldwin and W. McNeil Lowry, Ford Foundation director of its humanities and the arts program from the 1950s until his retirement in 1974.

News About Former Ford Foundation Staff

1/28/2014

News about Patricia Wald, Sara Rios, Rosalia Sciortino, Michael Lipsky, Rusty Morgen Stahl, Sushma Raman, Jael Silliman, and Thomas F. Miller.

CLIPPINGS

Selection Of Articles Published Elsewhere

Coalition Seeks Public's Advice on New York City's Goals

11/11/2013

As Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio prepares to succeed Michael R. Bloomberg, a coalition of leading foundations will unveil an ambitious citywide effort to enlist regular New Yorkers in sharing their views about the city’s future.

Ubinas Reflects on Six Years as President of the Ford Foundation

8/6/2013

In a wide-ranging interview with Rahim Kanani of the Skoll World Forum, Ubiñas reflects on his tenure at the foundation, the state of philanthropy today, measuring and evaluating long-term progress, critical lessons in leadership, and much more.

After a Gay Rights Victory, A New Challenge for Grant Makers

By Michael Seltzer | 7/12/2013

The Supreme Court found that the Defense of Marriage Act violates the constitution of the United States and that marriage equality is the law in those states where same-sex marriage is legal. It’s also time for philanthropy to reflect on its power to further social justice

Warren Wilson president is down-to-earth guy

4/26/2013

For those of us whose leanings are toward gentler disciplines such as literature and philosophy, a quick perusal of Warren Wilson College President Steve Solnick’s curriculum vitae might invite a touch of academic intimidation.

Reminiscences on a grantee-grantor relationship

By Rosalia Maria Emanuela Sciortino | 1/16/2013

When one reaches a certain age – as in my case – there is a tendency to look back and reflect on one’s experiences, including the transformations in one’s own career landscape over time. In the more than 20 years of working with international philanthropic and development organisations of a grant-making nature in Southeast Asia, I have seen many ideologies and trends emerge and wane.

Mideast peace starts with talking to Iran

By Gary Sick | 11/16/2012

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama is getting a lot of free advice. Here's a question, not an answer: With every issue in the Middle East intertwined with every other, like a giant bowl of spaghetti, where do you begin?

Former White House Aide Reviews 'Argo'

By Gary Sick | 10/18/2012

On NPR's Talk of the Nation, Gary Sick reviews the movie Argo that "tells the story of the six American diplomats who narrowly escaped the U.S. embassy in Tehran as the Iran hostage crisis erupted in late 1979."

Ford Needs a Smarter Approach to Newspaper Grants

8/14/2012

The Ford Foundation’s announcement last month that it is providing $500,000 to help The Washington Post strengthen its coverage of government-accountability issues is inappropriate and a waste of money.

Blame Saddam: Another Way of Seeing Iran's Nuclear Program

4/20/2012

“When the revolution happened in 1979 the Shah of course was in the midst of developing a nuclear power program, and everybody suspected that he was really going to go for a bomb,” notes Gary Sick, a Columbia University expert who was at the National Security Council when...

Meeting Iran: A Nuclear Summit Not for the Faint-Hearted

By Gary Sick | 4/11/2012

Gary Sick worked in international affairs at the Foundation from 1990 to 1995. The United States, Iran, and five other countries—Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany—are set to engage in a new round of talks in Istanbul, Turkey beginning on Friday and continuing into Saturday.

Foundation Files Reveal Insights on Culture

4/9/2012

James Baldwin needed some money. It was 1959, six years before Congress created national endowments for the arts and humanities to support struggling artists and cultural institutions....Mr. Lowry had the last word in deciding which artists, writers and performers would receive grants from the Ford Foundation, the richest private source of cultural largess at the time.

Occupy Wall Street Abandoned PR 101

By Leslie Gottlieb | 4/9/2012

I wasn’t involved in the Occupy Wall Street activities, although I followed the movement closely and admired many of its ideas and ideals. As a public relations professional, however, I was increasingly frustrated by the inability of its participants to adhere to basic PR principles. If they had, I believe they would have made a much more powerful impact on the public...

Media Watch | Leaks Ahead of Nuclear Talks

4/8/2012

"If it's Sunday," Columbia University scholar Gary Sick wrote in an email to Gulf 2000, a listserv he moderates, "it must be time for major U.S. government 'leaks' (really planted stories) about Iran. Positioning and spinning is particularly important with negotiations possibly ready to start."

Corporate Personhood with Fran Korten

By Frances Korten | 4/7/2012

YouTube Video - Fran Korten, Executive Director of "Yes!" Magazine talks about our relationship to corporations and how we can end corporate rule. She spoke at Chimacum High School on March 30, 2012 with Steven Reisler, President of the Seattle Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.

What It Will Take to 'Graduate' 1.2 Billion People Out of Extreme Poverty

4/4/2012

A new report from the World Bank brings welcome news on the global poverty front.

Can Goldman Sachs Find Its Purpose?

By Judith F. Samuelson | 3/20/2012

A teacher at a prominent business school takes her students through a simple exercise each semester. Every student must register a new company, which means paying a $60 fee and describing the new enterprise's purpose on a form. The professor's teachable moment in this: Purpose is the starting point, and as the principal of the business, you get to decide.

Crisis-Managing U.S.-Iran Relations

By Gary Sick | 3/6/2012

The results of Iran's March 2 parliamentary elections have bolstered the position of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with a majority of seats going to his allies (NYT). Khamenei will now likely move to end the presidential system to further consolidate “his power as the ultimate leader in Iran,” says Iran expert Gary Sick.

How to Ask Candidates Questions that Make a Difference

By Frances Korten | 2/24/2012

The Occupy movement has changed the political conversation. But will it make a difference in what politicians actually do? We can help—through the questions we ask.

A to Z Survival Guide for Uncertain Times

By Michael Seltzer | 12/16/2011

[From PhilanTopic] Each time the American economy has suffered a downturn or government has cut back on funding for social programs, the media has focused on how those of us on “Nonprofit Street” are being affected.

NYC’s “Neighborhood of Conscience”

By Michael Seltzer | 8/25/2010

Lower Manhattan is many things to many people: hub of global finance, a mosaic of ethnic enclaves, funky residential neighborhood with breath-taking views of New York harbor, and, of course, backdrop for the most devastating of the September 11 terrorist attacks.